The last year or so has seen a number of documentaries, news stories, and campaigns re-emphasizing the problems we have created for ourselves with our addiction to "disposable" single-use plastics: shopping bags, food packaging, and especially drinking straws. Most people don't really need them, although they are convenient. If you have a long commute, or […]
Your Space
Inspiration and solutions for the places you spend your time: home decor, fine art, “demi-DIY”.
Diane Keaton’s color theory
I don't want my house to have a lot of color because people are so much more interesting. They are the color. Subscribe to the theory? Share on your social timeline. Images: Country Living Quote: Home Accents Today
Fresh Eire: Contemporary design from Ireland
This will not be the typical St. Patrick's Day-themed design post. There will be no reference to the following: claddagh rings, shamrocks, leprechauns, potatoes, cartoon policemen, Aran sweaters, alcoholism, anything green. I want to talk about examples of cool, modern Irish design. Mourne Textiles Shaggy Dog handloomed wool cushions This loopy weave was shown […]
Demi-DIY: How to decorate with antique advertisements
We all remember decorating our teenage bedroom with posters and pages torn from magazines. Maybe you still enjoy collaging, or making a vision board for a hobby. Maybe now, instead of boy bands, you collect antique prints. I stumbled upon this site, and it struck me that this collection of public domain advertising […]
Sticky Situation: Make your own washi tape from upcycled labels
How to make your own decorative tape and stickers from museum tickets and e-commerce shipping labels Cleaning up my office/studio recently, I found the ticket stubs from my last visit to the Cooper-Hewitt design museum in New York. I remembered I had kept them to use the ticket info to access the exhibit info I saved […]
Exhibit: Shaker design featured in Paris and New Britain
bur bowtie (c) Allie McConnell, photographed at Canterbury Shaker Village, Vermont Today brings the opening of Li Edelkoort's art gallery in Paris. Edelkoort is the founder of Trend Union, a highly influential trend forecasting company. She herself is a significant proponent of artisans, textile craft, and sustainable fashion production. The first exhibition at Edelkoort […]
White Sails: how to get affordable, stylish window curtains
January is traditionally the season for white sales, when retailers mark down their stock of home textiles: bedding, linens, pillows, towels. I wanted to share with you my affordable solution for curtains that takes inspiration from a different kind of sail. I’m really happy with how it turned out, aside from the relief of not having […]
#ClothisCulture: Afghan war rugs exhibit in New London
The Lyman Allyn Museum in New London, CT is hosting an exhibit of Afghan war rugs this spring. Through decades of invasion, occupation, and internal oppression, Afghan women within the country and displaced in refugee camps elsewhere have modernized the images they depict through their traditionally crafted rugs for commercial sale. Maps, weapons, army tanks, and portraits […]
What is Fair Trade Certified?
Oliberte Fair trade is the market-based answer to charity. Instead of perpetuating the charity cycle, which just creates dependency on handouts, fair trade principles ensure that farmers get a fair price for their harvest, based on the market, i.e. supply and demand. Trading is done directly, without a middleman, which would otherwise take a chunk out of the […]
Digital Native: Shop indigenous designers this Columbus Day
Most of us in this country celebrate C****b*s Day by taking advantage of sales at the mall and sticking kids’ European-centric school projects to the family fridge. There’s a better way: take back the day as Indigenous People’s Day. I hope by now you’ve at least heard the term “cultural misappropriation”, and are aware of […]